Lee Hui Chieh, Wed, Aug 08, 2007 The Straits Times

Everyone knows a horror story. A simple procedure turns into a nightmare of complications, inflating a hospital stay from days to months, and the cost in the process.

That was what happened to a Myanmar patient, Madam Daw Tin Nyunt, whose two-day stay in a private hospital stretched to 344 after a failed heart stent implant.

Her hospital bill also ballooned to $560,000, from the initial $15,227 estimate given by the hospital. It won’t happen to you?

Not if you make sure you are adequately covered, say financial advisers.

They say there are three kinds of insurance plans one should have to make sure that you won’t be knocked for a loop by health-care costs: MediShield or enhanced Shield plans (to take care of hospitalisation costs), disability insurance and critical illness plans (to ensure you have an income if you can no longer work for a prolonged period).

MediShield and Shield plans

If you have nothing else, have at least a plan which will take care of hospitalisation costs. The top must-have is MediShield or – its enhanced versions – the Shield plans, said Mr Eddy Cheong, 37, who heads independent financial advisory firm Providend’s family office services.

MediShield is a basic hospitalisation and surgical plan that all Central Provident Fund (CPF) account holders have, unless they have opted out, or upgraded to a Shield plan.

After a revamp in 2005, MediShield now pays for 60 per cent of hospital bills, on average.

Shield plans, which are offered by private insurers and approved by CPF, have also improved. Some ‘as charged’ plans no longer place limits on the amount that can be claimed each day for hospital stay and procedures.

You can even buy a rider to pay for the portions of the bill that the policy doesn’t cover, such as the deductible. So a carefully chosen ‘as charged’ plan could reimburse as much as the entire bill.

Policies are usually pegged to hospital ward classes. Choose a plan based on the type of services you expect, and what you can afford. Mr Cheong’s advice for buying MediShield or Shield plans: Go for the best you can afford.

He said: ‘It’s a question of insurability. If you go for something more high-level, you can downgrade any time you want.

‘But if you start low, and want to upgrade later, there will be medical underwriting.’

Underwriting assesses whether a person is healthy enough to qualify for coverage.

Since you are more likely to develop medical conditions later in life that insurers would shy away from covering, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, you may not be able to upgrade to a better plan then. So, buy the best one you can afford while you are young and healthy.

There is another reason you should consider a better plan.

If the Government should introduce means testing in future – meaning giving subsidies based on actual income rather than on your choice of ward class – you could end up having to stay in a more costly ward than you wanted. A policy which is pegged to a lower class will not give you enough coverage.

Critical illness plans and disability insurance

Once you have your hospitalisation cover, think about that other big headache people face after becoming seriously sick – loss of income during the period of illness and recovery.

This is where disability insurance and critical illness plans come in.

While not as essential as Medishield or Shield plans, both should be taken up, Mr Cheong said.

They will pay out a sum of money to compensate for income loss, or to pay for nursing services, medical equipment and supplies and even tonics and alternative treatment such as traditional Chinese medicine.

Most insurance companies carry critical illness plans which cover a range of conditions. You should compare different plans from different companies to see which best suits your wallet.

Mr Cheong recommends insuring yourself for a payout of two to five years’ annual income if you become critically ill.

The other should-have is disability insurance, which spans your working years. This will pay a monthly allowance if you become disabled and cannot work for a prolonged period.

This is different from total and permanent disability – much rarer and more serious – which is usually covered as part of a life insurance policy.

He advises insuring for a payout of 50 to 75 per cent of your current monthly salary.

Take note of the fine print though. Such plans lapse once you are out of work or out of the country for a certain period of time.

As you are nearing retirement age, you can then take up insurance for long-term care or disability, such as ElderShield. Like taking the correct medication for a disease, buying the right insurance at the right time will cure your wallet’s woes.

Which is the best Medishield or Shield plans should you choose? Do drop us a line to get your free financial health check.

 

Assets managed by Singapore-based fund managers up 24% in 2006
By Yvonne Cheong, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 04 July 2007 1443 hrs

SINGAPORE : Assets managed by fund managers based in Singapore grew by 24 percent last year to reach S$891 billion.

The figures were announced on Wednesday by Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, who’s also chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).

Speaking at the Nomura Asia Equity Forum, he noted that total assets managed here have grown robustly over the last six years.

Sources of funds flowing into and through Singapore have diversified, with more money being channelled from South Asia and the Middle East.

Some 84% of the assets under management last year were sourced from outside Singapore.

Said SM Goh: “The critical mass of asset management activity in Singapore is continuing to grow. In 2006, 57% of total AUM (assets under management) in Singapore was invested in the Asian region.

“Fund managers continue to use Singapore as their regional headquarters because they see Singapore as a prime location to service clients, raise capital from the region as well as invest into the region and beyond.”

Foreign asset managers contributed for the bulk of the growth last year.

The number of hedge fund managers jumped by 76 percent, managing over S$40 billion.

Asia drew a greater proportion of the funds invested, accounting for some 57 percent.

The strong performance of regional stock markets last year meant that equities were a favourite, making up 55 percent of total assets managed.

The senior minister also noted that global financial institutions could tap into Singapore’s growing trade links with the Middle East.

“Interest has centred on servicing Asian investors – primarily on project financing and loan syndication. I encourage you to take a wider perspective – consider making commercial banking, corporate finance, capital market services and private banking part of your long term growth strategy. You can explore possibilities for collaborating with Singapore-based financial institutions with strong know-how,” urged SM Goh.

Mr Goh also noted that political integration is progressing more slowly than economic integration, as Asia is more diverse – politically and culturally – compared to Europe.

 

 

However, he added the basic direction has been set and the deepening integration will create the conditions and framework for the private sector to grow. – CNA/ch/ls

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What are your CPF OA funds drawing 2.5% or 24% gains?

 

If your CPF Ordinary Account (CPF OA) is still drawing 2.5% p.a. from CPF Board, then you are missing out on potential earnings for your nest egg when you retire!

Current Singapore-based fund managers are up 24%!!!! That is close to 9X earnings / interest of what you are getting now with CPF Board.

Take active action by talking to us on how we can maximize the growth of your investment or retirement funds!

April 28, 2007

Case deplores banks’ questionable FD policy

I REFER to the letters by Mr Tan Kee Chye (‘FD counter rate: 2.3%; auto-renewal: 1.8%’; ST, April 21), Mr Lim Poh Seng (‘Is Case looking into 2-tier FD rates?’; ST, April 24) and Mr Arvind Agarwalla (‘Always at the losing end when fixed deposits auto-renewed’; ST Online Forum, April 25).

We are concerned with frequent reports of consumers getting lower returns because they did not renew their fixed deposits (FDs) personally at the bank counter but allowed the banks to renew them automatically.

Complainants have told us that they chanced upon the better rates only when they called at the banks. Consumers should not have to discover such better returns by chance. Depositors would expect the banks to inform them of such differential rates. Omission of such material information is not acceptable.

According to consulting firm Bain & Company in a Business Times report dated March 29, ‘Financial-services firms here and elsewhere in Asia are shooting themselves in the foot by aggressively courting new customers, then failing to meet their needs properly’. We agree.

In fact, we had written to the banks in the past when we received such feedback. However, the banks preferred to deal with such complaints on a case-by-case basis, with no intention of addressing the issue across the board despite knowing full well that depositors were not happy with the status quo.

We believe our banks can do better. They can serve the needs of depositors without such questionable market conduct. They should adopt a more transparent approach and inform all customers that better rates could be offered if they renewed their FDs at the counter or, better still, offer the best rates at any point in time to all their customers, regardless of whether the FDs are renewed automatically or over the counter, like one foreign bank is doing at the moment.

Seah Seng Choon
Executive Director
Consumers Association of Singapore

 

The fact of the matter is that if you don’t manage your finances properly; don’t expect the Banks to! Their main purpose is to manage THEIR earnings, NOT yours.

Is FD a safe and attractive investment after all?

What other investments can yield better FD rates?

Is your FD keeping up with inflation? With GST at 7%, your FD value might be eroding even faster.

Get your friendly reliable needs-based advice here!

April 26, 2007

Kidney failure: Call for diabetes checks for those 40 and above

By Salma Khalik, Health Correspondent

WITH kidney disease and failure reaching ‘pandemic proportions’ here, the fight against them should no longer just be the business of doctors and patients, a leading renal specialist has said.

Associate Professor S. Vathsala believes the national health-care system has to introduce a national screening programme for diabetes for those aged 40 and up.

She noted that in the past decade, diabetes has been responsible for 56 per cent of kidney-failure cases.

The renal specialist, who is also the director of Singapore General Hospital’s kidney transplant programme, predicts that by 2030, 14 to 15 per cent of the adults here will fall victim to diabetes.

The figure today stands at 8.2 per cent of adults.

She attributes the projected increase mainly to the population getting older, as older people are more likely to develop it.

Quoting foreign studies, Prof Vathsala said controlling the condition was key to cutting – by as much as two-thirds – the number of kidney-failure cases caused by diabetes.

But the last national health survey in 2004 found that half the diabetics did not even know they had the disease. With these individuals, diabetes is left untreated until the disease is at an advanced stage – which is when complications set in.

Prof Vathsala, who is also vice-president of Society of Transplantation, told The Straits Times that if each case of diabetes could be detected early, ‘we could potentially pick up kidney disease in at least 21 per cent of them at time of diagnosis’.

Left untreated, people with early symptoms of renal failure will lose the use of their kidneys in 10 to 20 years.

To make matters worse, Prof Vathsala added, chronic kidney disease is a known ‘disease multiplier’ – it increases a person’s risk of contracting other, often fatal, diseases such as heart attacks and strokes.

Diabetes is also linked to other conditions like non-healing ulcers and blindness.

In an article in the March edition of Annals, the newsletter of the Academy of Medicine, Prof Vathsala cited a list of facts to back her push for national screening for early detection.

They include:

· Diabetes is the eighth most common cause of death here; kidney disease is 10th.

· Diabetes accounted for 46 per cent of kidney failures in 1998. By 2003, the figure was 56 per cent.

· Patients on dialysis face a risk of death 22 times higher than the general population.

· The number of new dialysis patients has been going up. In 1998, there were 564 new cases, in 2003, 675.

The Health Promotion Board has no plans to introduce national screening; its stand is that diabetes can be staved off with a healthy lifestyle.

To this, Prof Vathsala argued that diabetic kidney failure peaked in people aged between 45 and 64, so a national screening programme for individuals starting at 40 would identify diabetics early; those at high risk of it should be screened even earlier.

She said a test comprising two separate fasting blood-glucose tests costs about $20.

Endocrinologists, the specialists who treat diabetics, have long called for early diagnosis as a way of preventing other serious diabetes-linked illnesses.

Dr Tan Chee Eng, an endocrinologist in private practice, recommends going a step further:

‘Screening is just the first step. There must be proper follow-up to ensure that patients keep the diabetes well controlled.’

Diabetes in its early stages presents no symptoms. Patients thus are likely to stop taking their medications, so they need to be under doctors’ supervision.

Do you know the cost for dialysis?
Would you have hundreds or thousands of dollars to pay for treatment?

Click here to have contact us for your free financial health check

April 14, 2007

TRAGEDY STRIKES HOLIDAYMAKERS

Tour bus crash on Malaysian highway kills Singaporean

By Reme Ahmad in Kuala Lumpur & Teh Joo Lin in Singapore

SURVIVOR: Singaporean Koh Hui Yap, 40, who broke her leg, was rushed to a hospital right after the accident. Last night, with her leg in a cast, she returned to Singapore with other survivors on another coach.

DEAD: Madam Tay suffered head injuries. Her two sisters were unhurt.

A HOLIDAY in the hills for a group of Singaporeans was tragically cut short when one of them died in a bus accident in Malaysia.

In an early-morning crash near the Batang Berjuntai exit of the North South Expressway, an hour’s drive from Kuala Lumpur, their bus was rammed into by a container lorry which crossed from the other side of the highway.

Madam Tay Sok Hoon, 52, a mother of three, is believed to have died at the scene from head injuries.

Her two younger sisters, who were also on the bus, escaped unscathed.

But a second Singaporean woman, identified as Madam Koh Hui Yap, 40, broke her leg in the accident, said Malaysian police. The 45-year-old Malaysian driver of the luxury coach, which was carrying 18 passengers, was also seriously injured.

Click here to find out how you can get protected

April 12, 2007

More to get help to cope with disability

By Yap Su-Yin

NEW HOPE: With counselling and emotional support from the Society for the Physically Disabled’s case management programme, Mr Jimmy Tan, seen here with his mother, Madam Ang, has become less demanding and is considering taking up vocational training. — DESMOND WEE

HOUSEWIFE Ang Ah Poh, 62, was at a loss when her son Jimmy suffered a stroke at the age of 32 that impaired his movement.

Depressed and unable to cope, he refused to speak. His temper soured and his mother, his main caregiver, bore the brunt of it.

Those were tough times, recalled Madam Ang in Hokkien.

‘I waited on him hand and foot after his stroke, but I’m old and it was difficult to manage,’ she said.

Luckily, five months ago, the Society for the Physically Disabled (SPD) put Mr Jimmy Tan on its new specialised case management programme, which turned things around for both mother and son.

Madam Ang said: ‘With counselling and emotional support, he has become less demanding and more independent and is even considering taking up vocational training in future.’

The society hopes to repeat this early success with those who need help to cope with the stress and challenge of living with disability.

Previously, there was no service providing continuous counselling, case management and early access to resources and services after discharge from hospitals, said SPD’s head social worker, Ms Lim Lutin.

At present, hospital staff can link a disabled patient to services offered by different voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs), depending on his needs.

But it is done on an ad hoc basis and, since there is no follow-up, there is no way of knowing whether the patient is using these services.

‘Some have told us they would not have felt so lost if someone had followed through that journey with them,’ said Ms Lim. Her team has come across cases where disabled people have shut themselves away from society for years because they do not know how to get help.

‘We need to be there to motivate the client to think about what to do with his life after his disability, because life has not ended yet,’ said Ms Lim.

Catching them when they are ‘in transit’ between hospital and home is critical because this is a difficult period of adjustment, when both the patient and caregiver need plenty of support, she said.

So the SPD will put in place a system whereby hospitals or VWOs can refer such cases directly to SPD for ‘holistic’ help.

If necessary, SPD will link the clients – mostly adults – to other services it offers, such as therapy or vocational training.

More networking is needed though.

Currently, just Tan Tock Seng Hospital Rehabilitation Centre in Ang Mo Kio has tied up with SPD. It connects patients to SPD’s ’specialised case management programme’ about a week before patients who suffer physical disabilities are due for discharge.

Since last October, when the pilot programme was rolled out, the team has seen about a quarter of its annual target of 400 patients.

The pilot programme was given $300,000 in funding, to last two years, from the National Council of Social Service.

Said Madam Ang: ‘For poor folk like me, unable to read English, having a social worker show me how I can help my child help himself makes me happy.’

What if there was another solution?
What if you can get an income even if you are disabled?
What if your loved ones could get professional help?
Would it make a difference?

Click here to contact your friendly reliable needs based adviser

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Would you like to have financial freedom?

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Give your child a head start in life with an education policy!

 

 

March 27, 2007

Which University?

For four years now, students have been able to apply to all three local universities, and choose where to go once acceptances come in. So the universities strive to be different – in their programmes, admission criteria and fees. The Straits Times Education Correspondent Sandra Davie takes a look at the choices offered by the universities

Degrees

THERE are the local single degrees, of course. A few years ago, double degrees were all the rage. Now it is the global degree route. These are proving popular as more companies look out for employees with a global outlook.

NUS: It offers the widest range of degrees among the three universities. Its exclusive courses are medicine, architecture, dentistry, music, pharmacy, nursing, and project and facilities management.

Global degrees:

Bachelor of Arts (Honours) with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Bachelor of Computing (Communications & Media) and Master in Entertainment Technology with Carnegie Mellon University.

Bachelor of Engineering (Civil Engineering) with the University of Melbourne.

NTU: It has expanded its range of courses in recent years to include social sciences and fine arts. Its exclusive offerings include art, design and media, aerospace engineering, communication studies, maritime studies and education (conducted by the National Institute of Education).

Global degrees:

Double degree in Biomedical Sciences and Medicine (Traditional Chinese Medicine) with Beijing University of Chinese Medicine.

Double MBA degree programme in Management of Technology with Japan’s Waseda University.

Bachelor of Engineering (Computer Science) from NTU and Master of Science (Computer Science) from Georgia Institute of Technology

SMU: Positioning itself as a boutique business university, it offers four-year, full-time programmes in accountancy, business, economics, information systems management and social science. It has introduced a new one, law, which will take in 90 students in its pioneer batch.

Global degrees:

Bachelor of Science (Information Systems Management) degree from SMU and master’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University.

Fees

THE three universities announced in January that they will not raise tuition fees this year in view of the upcoming increase in goods and services tax (GST).

SMU, anyway, has a lock-in system for its fees, which will not be raised over the duration of one’s course even if fees are increased for later intakes.

Some parents and students prefer this lock-in scheme, because it allows them to plan ahead and set aside a specific amount of money.

Both NUS and NTU have said they are considering a similar scheme.

 

NUS ANNUAL FEES

Dentistry and medicine: $17,520

Music: $7,570

Nursing: $7,000

All other courses: $6,110

NTU ANNUAL FEES $6,110

SMU ANNUAL FEES $7,500 (except law which is $9,000).

 

 

Example

If you are planning to send your child to University.

Gender: Female Age: 4 next birthday

For Singapore, using SMU annual fees of, $ 7,500.00

Age of entry to university 18 (Females)

This amount is needed for Years 4

Total amount needed for Local Course fees $ 30,000.00

Shortfall will be needed in Years 15

Education cost, I feel will increase annually by about 6%

Education Costs 15 years later $ 71,896.75 (after inflation)

SHORTFALL to Fund Education

Lump Sum in today dollars needed to meet the shortfall $ 53,420.34

OR Monthly savings per month for 15 years $ 342.26

Have you done your children’s education planning?

Will you have enough savings when the times comes for your children’s education?

Give your children a head start with an education policy!

Contact your reliable needs based-advisor on how to have a discipline savings plan that provide protection and education funds for your children’s University

 

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Labels: Education Planning

 

April 2, 2007

Student loans: No defaults, say banks

By Cheryl Tan

LOAN SHIRK?: Better not default, or my guarantor will have to pick up the tab.

THEY may owe money, but they’ll pay it back.

Banks offering student loans to undergraduates at Singapore’s universities say they have yet to encounter defaulters. Some even repay their loans early.

That is a far cry from students in the United States.

In November, the USA Today newspaper cited a credit analysis report which stated that unpaid student loans had put two out of three million people in their 20s surveyed in bad debt.

Such loans, along with credit card debt, had even caused up to 1.5 million of those surveyed to stop repayments altogether, forcing lenders to sell these debts to a collection agency.

The worst cases have had their cars repossessed or sought bankruptcy protection.

Singapore students are another breed altogether.

Credit Counselling Singapore’s assistant director Tan Huey Min said 20somethings do seek help after overspending on credit cards, but not for student loans.

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Just imagine your poor child with a huge loan to repay even before nailing a job! Give your children a head start in life with an education policy! There are numerous plans that provide a force savings for parents to provide a lump sum of monies to pay for their children’s education. Some of such insurance plans in Singapore are:-

Endowment

With the costs of higher education rising, it makes sense to plan for your child’s future by investing in Endowment Classic, a savings plan with potential higher returns than regular bank deposits that combines savings with protection in one plan.

Premiums on Endowment Classic are guaranteed, and you can choose to have the policy mature when your child is ready to enter university. The resulting returns from your sum assured, as well as all attaching bonuses, would come in handy when it’s time to pay those hefty tuition fees.

You are also covered against death and total and permanent disability should the unforeseen happen.

Life Policies with Savings rider

Whole life protection with premium payment required only for 20 years (Flexi20). Ideal for newborns – For example, sign up for a 1-year old infant and by the time the child is 21 years old, his policy would have been fully paid for. No additional premium is required while he continues to enjoy protection for life.

In the meantime the saving rider will mature at the university age yielding a lump sum amount for the child’s education where ever he may wish to study. But the main policy continues providing protection and accumulation through out their life until surrender.

Life Policy using Investment linked products

GreatLink SupremeLife is an insurance policy designed to meet your protection and investment needs in a smart and secure way. It ensures you and your family are financially protected while investing for the future.

This comprehensive regular-premium investment-linked plan combines whole life protection with investment opportunities aimed at achieving returns on your savings. From a low minimum monthly premium of $100, you will enjoy protection benefits of the basic sum assured and the total investment value of your funds invested.

More importantly, SupremeLife gives you the control and flexibility to allocate more of your premium towards protection as your financial liability rises or potentially higher investment returns as your protection need decreases near retirement.

Which plans best suit your child or children?

Contact your reliable needs based adviser today!

 

 

April 12, 2007

By Yap Su-Yin

NEW HOPE: With counselling and emotional support from the Society for the Physically Disabled’s case management programme, Mr Jimmy Tan, seen here with his mother, Madam Ang, has become less demanding and is considering taking up vocational training. — DESMOND WEE

HOUSEWIFE Ang Ah Poh, 62, was at a loss when her son Jimmy suffered a stroke at the age of 32 that impaired his movement.

Depressed and unable to cope, he refused to speak. His temper soured and his mother, his main caregiver, bore the brunt of it.

Those were tough times, recalled Madam Ang in Hokkien.

‘I waited on him hand and foot after his stroke, but I’m old and it was difficult to manage,’ she said.

Luckily, five months ago, the Society for the Physically Disabled (SPD) put Mr Jimmy Tan on its new specialised case management programme, which turned things around for both mother and son.

Madam Ang said: ‘With counselling and emotional support, he has become less demanding and more independent and is even considering taking up vocational training in future.’

The society hopes to repeat this early success with those who need help to cope with the stress and challenge of living with disability.

Previously, there was no service providing continuous counselling, case management and early access to resources and services after discharge from hospitals, said SPD’s head social worker, Ms Lim Lutin.

At present, hospital staff can link a disabled patient to services offered by different voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs), depending on his needs.

But it is done on an ad hoc basis and, since there is no follow-up, there is no way of knowing whether the patient is using these services.

‘Some have told us they would not have felt so lost if someone had followed through that journey with them,’ said Ms Lim. Her team has come across cases where disabled people have shut themselves away from society for years because they do not know how to get help.

‘We need to be there to motivate the client to think about what to do with his life after his disability, because life has not ended yet,’ said Ms Lim.

Catching them when they are ‘in transit’ between hospital and home is critical because this is a difficult period of adjustment, when both the patient and caregiver need plenty of support, she said.

So the SPD will put in place a system whereby hospitals or VWOs can refer such cases directly to SPD for ‘holistic’ help.

If necessary, SPD will link the clients – mostly adults – to other services it offers, such as therapy or vocational training.

More networking is needed though.

Currently, just Tan Tock Seng Hospital Rehabilitation Centre in Ang Mo Kio has tied up with SPD. It connects patients to SPD’s ’specialised case management programme’ about a week before patients who suffer physical disabilities are due for discharge.

Since last October, when the pilot programme was rolled out, the team has seen about a quarter of its annual target of 400 patients.

The pilot programme was given $300,000 in funding, to last two years, from the National Council of Social Service.

Said Madam Ang: ‘For poor folk like me, unable to read English, having a social worker show me how I can help my child help himself makes me happy.’

=========================================================

Make sure you have Critical Illness coverage

You should have at least a minimum coverage to protect against any critical illness. You can’t determine the damage the illness will do to you. But you can ensure if any thing happens, you and your family are will have funds to get medical treatment and protect your income.

Don’t be a burden to your family, click here to find out how you can get your free financial health check!

www.abundance2insure.com

April 5, 2007

Think doc has overcharged you? Turning to Case only recourse now

SMA decision was made with ‘great reluctance’

Other professional groups relooking fee guidelines

# Before choosing a doctor, shop around if possible.

Both the Singapore Medical Association (SMA) and the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) recommend that patients call a few clinics to get an idea of how much the market rate might be for a certain treatment.

# Check surveys of actual charges and bill sizes for an idea of what reasonable rates are.

The Health Ministry’s website has information on average bill sizes for the 70 most common hospital procedures.

By the end of this year, it will also publish on its website the average bill size of treatment for chronic conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and stroke at private clinics.

Later this year, the SMA will publish results of its survey of charges in primary care clinics.

Next year, it will make public survey results for charges for more common procedures in private specialist clinics.

# Check the clinic’s counter, signboards or brochures for consultation charges.

Doctors have been advised by the SMA to display them prominently.

# Whenever possible, ask your doctor beforehand for the expected range of costs for consultation, tests and treatment.

The SMA has recommended that doctors conduct financial counselling with patients

www.abundance2insure.com